NEW YORK — Amtrak is making “service adjustments” today (Sunday, Feb. 22) and Monday, Feb. 23, because of dangerous weather conditions, the passenger company said on Saturday.
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NJ Transit, and CTRail’s Hartford Line and Shore Line East are also advising passengers of the potential for service changes although no specific changes have been announced as of 8:30 a.m. ET.
More than 50 million people in the Northeast are under a blizzard or winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service. Snowfall along the I-95 corridor north of Washington, D.C., will surpass 2 to 3 inches per hour at times, the Weather Service says, with snow total of 1 to 2 feet. According to Accuweather, the heaviest snow will arrive in the New York City area about 7 p.m.
Amtrak’s advisory says it is making changes “out of an abundance of caution and in consultation with our contract meteorologists.” The changes were not announced, with Amtrak saying it would contact passengers directly.
But as of 8 a.m., the train status feature on the Amtrak website shows just three cancellations today on the Northeast Corridor, all for Northeast Regional trains: southbound No. 165 (Boston-Washington), a 3:10 p.m. departure and No. 169 (Boston-Philadelphia), a 7:55 p.m. departure; and northbound No. 168 (Washington-Boston), a 3:25 p.m. departure. All are attributed to “equipment unavailability.” Also canceled, as of 11 a.m. CT, are Northeast Regionals Nos. 66 (Philadelphia-Boston) and 67 (Boston-Newport News, Va.)
On Monday, the only corridor trains canceled so far are No. 195, a 6:25 a.m. departure from Boston to Washington; Acela No. 2249, a 10:03 a.m. departure from New York to Washington; and Acela No. 2248, a 7:45 a.m. departure from Washington to Boston.
Also canceled on Monday are Downeasters Nos. 680 and 681, according to the Downeaster website. More service changes are possible.
NJ Transit said in an updated customer alert at midday that its light rail, bus, and Access Link paratransit operations would halt at 6 p.m. today, with rail service adjustments expected later in the day, and Monday operating plans to be assessed overnight. The agency recommends monitoring the NJ Transit website, its app, and its social media channels for updates.
MTA plans call for the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad to operate on regular schedules today. LIRR service on Monday will operate on a weekend schedule; Metro-North on Monday will operate on an hourly schedule, with weekend schedules on branch lines. Most subways will operate local; equipment will be deployed to address the system’s 220 miles of outdoor trackage.
— Updated at 8:20 a.m. CT with Amtrak cancellation information; updated at 8:30 a.m. with MTA information. Updated at 11:50 a.m. CT with NJ Transit plans to halt some operations, and with plans for LIRR operation on Monday. Updated at 11:55 a.m. with additional Amtrak cancellations. To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
